1. Field of the Invention
This invention discloses a locking disk to secure the attachments of movable parts to a wind wheel and kites.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, there have been a number of inventions relating to amusement devices based on wind power.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,881 (J. Heberling) discloses a pinwheel having a relatively rigid metal center, flexible non-metallic blades fastened to the center, with each of the blades being individual and being cut as a blank separate from the remaining blades, a portion of each of the blades being curved over the metal center.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,669,748 (G. G. Greger) discloses a pin wheel having a wheel made from a blank provided with curved slits to form a plurality of tapering blades. The wheel has its central portion mounted on the pin with the blade tips brought together on the pin in spaced relation to the central portion of the wheel blank. A baffle on the pin rests against the edges of the gathered tip portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,673 (Kwok et al.) discloses a wind direction indicator having a rotatable wind vane and a support for connection to the mast of a yacht. The vane is connected to the support by means of a gimbal mechanism and a stabilizing weight is connected to the gimbal mechanism diametrically opposite the vane.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,406 (Coffey) discloses a wind direction device for attachment to a boat shroud for indicating the direction of the wind relative to the direction of travel of the boat. The device includes several wraps of adhesive tape around a boat shroud to form an upwardly facing shoulder at a midpoint of the shroud of the boat, a bearing resting on the shoulder and having a hold through which is received the shroud, which bearing as a slit in one side and is sufficiently flexible and resilient so that the size of the slit can be varied to position the bearing around the shroud and retain the bearing on the shroud.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,358 (Galloway et al.) discloses an apparent wind direction indicator having a masthead device for sailboats. These marks can be adjusted with greater compass accuracy to allow several settings in each quadrant creating a series of reference points enabling one to more accurately determine the apparent wind angle from a center point and thus optimize sail trim, heading and boat speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,086,361 (W. B. Kaszas) discloses an airplane kite with a fan wheel mounted on an extended part of the kite.
U.S. Pat. 6,206,747 (Skwarek) discloses a colorful wind indicator which comprises a tail section for catching wind, a front section for indicating the direction of the wind, a tail mounting section for mounting the tail section, a joinder for joining the tail mounting section with the front section and a pole upon which the assembly rotates. The device taught by this patent (herein incorporated by reference) further comprises two disk type structures, with one of the disk type structures being positioned at a proximal end of said hollow rod closest to said pivot doll, and the other disk type structure being positioned at a distal end of the hollow rod farthest away from said pivot doll, with the disk type structures having a plurality of holes around the circumference of each disk type structure. The wind wheel further comprises vanes for catching the wind, with the vanes having a frame which had projections which fit into the disk type structures. In one embodiment, the ends of the projections are bulbous, and fit into appropriately grooved disk type structures.
This disk type structure has become sort of a standard in the industry, as more and more kite and wind wheel manufacturers have sought to copy this design.
However, the use of the present disk does present certain challenges. During periods of high winds or high torque, the projections of the vanes may become disengaged from the disk type structure, causing the vanes to fly off in extremely high winds. Alternatively, if the disk is used to secure the parts of a kite, such as a propeller, wind forces may cause those parts to separate from the disk type structure, causing the kite to become unbalanced.
The proposed invention solves these problems by using an improved disk structure. More specifically, it is proposed that a hub lock be used instead of the prior disk type structure to secure rotatable parts driven by the wind, therein xe2x80x9clockingxe2x80x9d the projections of these parts into the hub lock, preventing the vanes or similar structures from disengaging and flying away from the structure during high winds..
In one embodiment of the invention, the hub lock device is comprised of two interlocking sections. The xe2x80x9cmalexe2x80x9d or top section has pin projections which fit into holes in the xe2x80x9cfemalexe2x80x9d or bottom section of the hub device.
In another embodiment of the invention, the hub device is comprised of two sections wherein the two sections are attached by means of a resilient member.
This device may be used to connect various moving parts of the wind wheel to various shafts, thereby allowing for the free rotation of parts. Similarly, this device may also be used to allow for the connection of various parts of a variety of kites.